Today, many different types of applicators exist which are used to insert a substance into a body cavity. A common applicator is a tampon applicator which is used by women to insert a tampon pledget into their vagina during their menstrual period. Other common applicators are used to insert suppositories, creams or the like to the vaginal area or into other body cavities.
Tampon applicators are commonly constructed of either a water-insoluble plastic, such as polyethylene, or from multiple layers of paper, paperboard or cardboard. The plastic applicators can be injection molded and are preferred by certain women because of their smooth and slippery exterior surface which provides ease and comfort during insertion. The plastic applicators can present a disposal problem in that they should not be flushed down a toilet but instead disposed of with the dry trash. Plastic applicators further raise environmental concerns in that some plastics are slow to biodegrade and most are not compostable.
Paper applicators, on the other hand, are flushable, exhibit good biodegradability features, and a very few are even compostable. The flushable feature is highly desired by most women for it provides a discrete means of disposing of the used applicator. However, most of today's paper applicators are not as comfortable to insert as a plastic applicator. In addition, paper applicators usually do not exhibit the sleek and lustrous aesthetic appearance of a plastic applicator. Even when the exterior surface of paper applicators are coated, they lack the characteristic of being slippery and do not exhibit the low coefficient of friction feature of plastic applicators.
Now a paper tampon applicator has been invented along with an apparatus and method of forming the applicator. The applicator has a water-insoluble coating on its exterior surface which closely approximates the aesthetic appearance of a plastic applicator.